The Results of the Endovascular Management of Femoropopliteal Arterial Occlusive Disease: A Prospective Study on 65 Consecutive Patients

Background: We report the angioplasty results of patients suffering from chronic lower extremity ischemia with the involvement of femoropopliteal arteries.   Methods: Sixty-five patients were studied. All patients with lower extremity chronic ischemia resulting from femoropopliteal arterial lesions at Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, from September 22, 2013, through March 21, 2015, were included in the study. The success of angioplasty and stenting was defined as the diminishing of the stenosis to less than 30%. A follow-up Doppler ultrasound was conducted to evaluate restenosis and reocclusion. Additionally, healing of ulcers and recovery of claudication were assessed at follow-up visits.   Results: The mean age of the study participants was 64.5±9.7 years. Forty-four patients (67.7%) were male, and 21 patients (32.3%) were female. In follow-up Doppler ultrasounds, 7 patients (10.8%) had stenosis, while 9 patients (13.8%) had occlusion, and 49 patients (75.4%) had a normal patent arterial flow. On follow-up, 53 patients (81.5%) did not report claudication. The success rate of the procedures was 98.46%. The presence of preprocedural tissue gangrene was a potential predictor of restenosis and reocclusion (P<0.05).   Conclusions: It seems that endovascular management is a feasible and effective technique in lower extremity arterial ischemia due to lesions in femoropopliteal arteries, even in subtypes TASC  C and D. (Iranian Heart Journal 2021; 22(4): 34-44)